


Hot chocolate

by thegirl20



Series: Tonight I wanna do some drinkin' (Jane/Maura) [6]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:31:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirl20/pseuds/thegirl20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snow day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot chocolate

“Where are you now?”  
  
Maura reached over and placed a calming hand on Jane’s thigh, rubbing gently. They were driving home from the station, having both opted to leave work a little early. It had snowed heavily all morning, and though it had stopped, it had made the roads treacherous. Angela had been calling them every few minutes to make sure they hadn’t died and it was beginning to wear on Jane’s nerves. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly they were leaving clear indents in the soft leather. Maura decided it was better if she answered the disembodied voice coming through the loudspeaker in the car.  
  
“Angela, we are two blocks away and travelling at an average of 6 miles an hour due to the weather conditions. We should be with you in roughly five minutes. If we are any longer than that, you’re very welcome to check on our progress. Is that alright?”  
  
“I...I just worry about you girls. There’s accidents all over the news and I want you both off the streets.”  
  
“Ma, you heard Maura, we’ll be there soon. You’re distracting us by yakking on the phone!”  
  
“Okay, I’m hanging up. I’ll see you soon. God willing.”   
  
Maura stifled a chuckle as Jane mumbled obscenities under her breath. She squeezed Jane’s leg again.  
  
“It’s because she cares.”  
  
“It’s because she’s insane.”  
  
Maura had learned not to react to the majority of Jane’s jibes about her mother. She knew Jane didn’t mean them and that they came from affection rather than irritation. Most of the time.   
  
Maura took a moment just to look at Jane. They had been dating for a little over six months and Maura had never been happier in her entire life. Dating Jane was similar to being Jane’s best friend, with a few very enjoyable additions. Jane was concentrating on the road, her eyebrows were drawn together, a few lines clearly visible between them. The appearance of those lines generally meant that Jane was worried, confused or concentrating. Maura recognised the urge to kiss them away, but discarded it as a safety risk at this moment in time.   
  
“What?”  
  
Jane’s voice startled Maura out of her thoughts.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You’re staring.” Jane’s voice carried that edge of amusement that it often did when she spoke to Maura and, as always, it made Maura smile.  
  
“I’m allowed to stare. You’re very pleasing to look at.”  
  
“So this is a ‘you’re gorgeous’ stare and not a ‘You have a skin disorder’ stare, huh?” Jane threw a grin at her. “I’m still learning to tell the difference between those two.”  
  
“Jane! I’ve never told you you had a skin disorder!” In fact, Jane’s skin was surprisingly soft and free from flaws, considering the amount of effort she expended on taking care of it, which was practically nil.   
  
“I guess that’s true. You just point out my dark naso…juggling folds, occasionally.”  
  
“Only out of concern for your wellbeing.” Maura frowned, not bothering to correct Jane’s mangling of anatomical terms. She scratched Jane’s leg lightly through her pants. “And you’d  _want_  me to tell you if you had a skin disorder, wouldn’t you?”  
  
Turning away from the road for a disconcertingly long time, Jane gave her one of those smiles that made Maura appreciate all of the ridiculous metaphors she’d heard applied to love over the years. Weak knees, fluttering hearts, butterflies. Yes, looking at Jane Rizzoli made Maura want to use metaphors. Because although she could rhyme off the reactions in her body and the various chemicals released to cause them, they did not adequately describe what she  _felt_.   
  
“Diagnose away, babe. You won’t frighten me off.”  
  
Maura dipped her head, a little bashful at Jane’s recognition of how she had spent the early part of their friendship. She had pushed Jane’s boundaries, mainly by being totally herself, to see whether Jane would be like everyone else and retreat. Jane had confounded previous test results and not only stuck around, but actively sought to spend time with Maura. Satisfied with the outcome, Maura’s confidence in her relationship with Jane had become firmer, long before they’d taken things to the romantic stage. She gave Jane a smile in return.  
  
“I know I won’t. Please look at the road, Jane.”   
  
Jane laughed and shook her head, but turned back to the road. She took one hand off the wheel to squeeze Maura’s briefly. “Good. As long as you know.”  
  
They turned onto Maura’s street and both of them let out a sigh of relief as her house loomed into view. Maura frowned.  
  
“The driveway is clear.”   
  
“Ma must’ve had Tommy do it.” Jane turned into the completely clear driveway and switched off the engine. “Good to know she’s putting him to use.”  
  
Jane opened her door and Maura did likewise, stepping out into the clear, brittle air and shivering a little from the change in temperature. Jane looked at her across the roof of the car and smiled.  
  
“I hope Ma’s got the hot chocolate read-“ The rest of her sentence was cut off when a perfectly formed ball of snow connected with her face. Maura gasped at the sneak attack.  
  
“Jane, are you alright?”  
  
But Jane had already rounded the car to stand beside Maura, bending to scoop up a handful of snow, a huge grin on her face.  
  
“Tommy? Where the hell are you? Come out and fight fair!”  
  
Another ball of snow hit Jane on the side of her head, coming from a completely different angle. Maura stepped closer to Jane, a gloved hand gripping the back of her jacket.   
  
“What’s going on?” She had been looking forward to a nice afternoon with Jane, spent inside, wearing warm clothing and watching movies. She had not expected to be ambushed and attacked by missiles made of snow.   
  
Jane turned to look at her; all the while her hands were crafting a perfect sphere out of the freshly fallen snow.   
  
“Snowball fig-“  
  
A twin attack took Jane off-guard as she was hit on both sides of her head at the same time. She ducked down behind the car, pulling Maura with her so that they were both crouching. Jane shook her head to get the snow out of her hair and probably her ears too. Maura shivered in sympathy.  
  
“Jesus, Frankie must be here too.”  
  
Having never had brothers or sisters, Maura couldn’t imagine someone laying in wait to attack her upon her return from work. But Jane seemed to be positively thrilled by it.  
  
“If we keep our bodies in a crouched position and move quickly, we can probably be in the house before they’re able to accurately pinpoint our location.”  
  
Jane looked at her like she was insane.  
  
“Run  _away_? No way, Maur. We gotta stand our ground. This is  _war_. I need you on my side.”  
  
Maura wanted nothing more than to get into her warm, dry house and out of the path of cold, wet balls of snow. But Jane was looking at her with big, excited eyes and Maura did not want to be the one to make that look go away. She fought valiantly to think of something that would make Jane reconsider the activity. Then it occurred to her; the perfect plan. She ducked her head and looked up at Jane through her eyelashes. She made sure her brow was creased slightly and her lower lip protruded just before she spoke.  
  
“You’re going to allow your brothers to hit me with tightly packed handfuls of snow?”  
  
She waited for Jane’s protective side to prevail. Much to her dismay, it did not.  
  
“Uh, yeah. It’s  _snow_ , Maura, not lead.” Jane risked a quick peek over the top of the car before crouching back down beside Maura. “And I am  _not_  letting my little brothers beat us. I have  _never_  lost a snowball fight. So arm yourself and on my count, you throw left and I’ll throw right.”  
  
Maura looked at her Gucci gloves and then at the snow. She glanced over at Jane. Clearly this required another tactic.   
  
“You’ve seen me throw a softball, haven’t you?”  
  
This appeared to give Jane pause. But not for long, in the end, she put a hand on Maura’s shoulder and squeezed. “Just…try, okay? Distract them, if nothing else. I’ll do the hard work.”  
  
Another two snowballs sailed over their heads.  
  
“Get out here, Janie. Or are you gonna hide behind your girlfriend’s car like a pussy all day?”  
  
Maura gasped and stood up, without thinking.  
  
“Tommy! Langua-“ She didn’t get to finish as a projectile of snow impacted with her nose at quite an impressive velocity. The ball crumbled upon impact, sending snow into her eyes, her hair and her mouth. She spluttered and tried to wipe it away with a gloved hand so that she could open her eyes. “Jane! He hit me in the face!”  
  
But Jane wasn’t where Maura had left her. She’d bounded out from her hiding place and was now engaging Tommy in the open. She watched for a moment as they hurled snowballs and insults back and forth; appreciating the athleticism of their long, lean bodies as they moved with ease around the garden, bending and scooping and throwing all in a fluid motion. She was so absorbed in the spectacle, she forgot about the other hidden assailant until she saw a flash of black to her right; Frankie was sneaking up on Jane. Her first instinct was to call out and warn Jane, but instead she found herself stooping and gathering up snow and forming it into the required shape. Without thinking, she launched it at Frankie’s head, expecting it to sail past. It didn’t. It hit him square in the temple, causing him to stumble.  
  
“Oh! Frankie! I’m so sorry!” She rushed forward to his aid, ignoring Jane’s incredulous expression.  
  
“Don’t apologise to him, Maur!”  
  
Frankie turned to her and grinned. “Hell of an arm there, Maura.” He raised his own arm; he had a snowball in his hand. “Glad you could join us.” And he threw it at her. She turned so that it glanced off her shoulder but she turned to him with a wicked smile. Then Tommy hit her with another snowball and the fight began in earnest. Maura had no idea where she was aiming or who she was hitting or who was hitting her. She was sure that she mistakenly hit Jane a couple of times in the melee, but it didn’t seem to matter. Her hands were stiff and wet and her nose was almost painfully cold, but she kept going, laughing and goading with the best of them.  
  
When fatigue started to set in with all of the participants, Maura assumed that they would come to a gentleman’s agreement to call the ‘fight’ a tie and then move into the house. But when Tommy raised his eyebrows at Frankie and then gestured to Jane, Maura knew something was about to happen.  
  
“Frosticles?” Frankie asked with a grin.  
  
“No!” Jane started backing up. “Guys, come on! What are we? Twelve?”  
  
Tommy nodded, but instead of heading for Jane, as Maura assumed they would, they both ran straight for her. She had no idea what was happening, and her body was too cold to react quickly enough, so before she knew it, she was being held with her back against Frankie’s front, his arms tight around her torso so that she couldn’t move. Tommy was holding two handfuls of snow and smiling at Jane who appeared horrified.  
  
“No! Let her go! Don’t you dare!”  
  
Maura struggled against the hold Frankie had on her, but it was futile. She had no idea what this was about, but Jane was very agitated about it. Tommy inched closer to Maura, grinning all the way.  
  
“You can stop us, Janie. You just gotta say the word.”  
  
Even from a fair distance, Maura could see Jane’s jaw clench, her hands were balled into fists at her side. Jane was  _not_ happy. Tommy moved closer still and suddenly Jane’s hands were in the air, empty.  
  
“Okay, okay! I surrender, I give up. Now let her go.”  
  
Even without Tommy and Frankie’s twin whoops of victory, Maura knew exactly how much Jane had just given up for her. And it was far more than this silly snowball game. Jane had just allowed herself to  _lose_  at something, to her  _brothers_ , just to save Maura from whatever fate awaited her. The reputational damage and potential for ongoing teasing were tremendous and Maura felt humbled by the sacrifice, which she would never have understood a year previously.  
  
“Frankie Rizzoli! You let go of Maura right now!” Angela’s dulcet tones cut into the proceedings. Immediately she was freed from Frankie’s grasp and she turned to see the formidable Rizzoli matriarch standing on the porch with her hands on her hips. Angela turned her attention to Jane. “It’s bad enough that  _you_  insist on roughhousing with your brothers but now you gotta bring poor Maura into it too? Get in here, all of you! I’m making hot chocolate and there’s a movie starting on TV.”  
  
Frankie and Tommy did as they were told, trudging to the door. Tommy turned and stuck his tongue out at Jane over his shoulder. Jane just glared at him. Angela slapped Frankie and Tommy on the back of their heads as they passed her, and was obviously waiting to do the same to Jane. She decided to intervene. She walked over to Jane and took her hand, turning back to call out to Angela.   
  
“We’ll be in in a minute, Angela.”   
  
“Okay, sweetie. Don’t be too long. You look half frozen!” And with that, she retreated into the warmth, leaving Jane and Maura alone in the snowy garden. Maura turned to look up at Jane, unable to keep the adoring smile off her face. Jane noticed it and frowned.  
  
“What?” she grunted.   
  
“I love you.” It hadn’t been what she planned to say, but it would do. And it got Jane smiling.  
  
“Yeah? Well, I love you too. And I hope you know that I jus-“  
  
Maura had pulled off her soaking wet glove and she held a trembling finger up to cover Jane’s cold lips.  
  
“I know exactly what you did. Thank you.” She replaced her finger with her lips, her own cold lips covering Jane’s for a brief moment; their frigid noses rubbing together for warmth. Jane smiled against her cheek.  
  
“You’re worth it.” The mumbled words were soft, but they made Maura tingle with joy.  
  
“While I’m not really sure of the weighting system you’re using to allocate worth to both me and the teasing you are sure to encounter from you broth-“  
  
“Maura!”   
  
Maura pulled away with her lips clamped tightly together, to find Jane shaking her head and smiling.  
  
“This is one of those times where close analysis of your words detracts from the romance of the situation, isn’t it?”  
  
“Li’l bit,” Jane said, tilting her head to the side.   
  
Nodding, Maura moved closer to Jane for warmth, shivering a little. “Oh, Jane, I meant to ask…what were they going to do to me?”  
  
Obviously feeling the shiver, Jane dropped a kiss on Maura’s head and then took her hand, leading her in the direction of the house.  
  
“They were gonna…stuff snow…into your underwear.”  
  
Maura stopped walking, pulling Jane to a halt with her. “Are you serious?”  
  
Nodding sheepishly, Jane gave a little shrug. “Yeah…I…was actually the one who started it when we were younger. Hence the name…Frosticles. ‘Cause it gave them…”  
  
“Yes, Jane, I can work out the etymology of the word.” Maura shook her head in wonder. “Sometimes I’m not at all sorry that I was an only child.”  
  
They walked to the door and took off their footwear and outdoor jackets. Jane shook her hair to get the last icy remnants of the fight out.   
  
“Man, I’m cold now.”   
  
The adrenaline of the activities was wearing off and Maura could feel her own outer body temperature dropping. She nodded.  
  
“Me too.” She reached for the doorknob, but paused and looked back at Jane. “Thank you for saving me from the Frosticles. But I think you should know that your actions have had the opposite effect.” Off Jane’s confused look, Maura reached up to cup her chin and drag her in for a kiss, pulling away enough to whisper. “Inside my underwear is very hot and very wet right now.”   
  
Jane gasped and started coughing and spluttering. Having achieved the desired impact, Maura walked into the house, casting a seductive look over her shoulder. Angela was in the kitchen, stirring a pan on the stove. Tommy and Frankie were sprawled on opposite ends of the couch, watching television.  
  
“Jane and I are going to take a shower. We won’t be long.”   
  
Her announcement was met by a series of mumbled acknowledgements and a deep blush from Jane. Maura loved drawing these reactions from her and did so at every opportunity. It wasn’t as if Jane’s family didn’t know that they had sex. But, despite her embarrassment, Jane took her hand and obediently followed along behind Maura as she headed to the master bedroom. Maura smiled to herself.  
  
\---  
  
With the door firmly closed, Maura found herself thrown down onto the bed, with Jane crawling on top of her.   
  
“God, Doctor Isles, you drive me fucking wild. You know that?”   
  
Making short work of the buttons on Jane’s shirt, Maura rolled them over and put her hands flat against Jane’s abdomen, making her hiss. Maura watched in fascination as goosebumps rose up at her touch and Jane’s nipples, already erect, hardened further, straining against her bra. All at once, she rolled off Jane completely and stood up at the side of the bed. Jane actually howled.  
  
“Where are you  _going_?”  
  
Maura started to undress herself, carefully taking her arm out of the sweater she was wearing.  
  
“Our clothes are damp and cold. It’s difficult to remove clothing when it’s like that. And I really like this sweater and don’t want you to stretch it beyond repair. I suggest you get up and take your clothes off too.”  
  
Jane lay back on the bed and looked at the ceiling. “Wow.  _‘I suggest you take your clothes off’_. How alluring.”   
  
Maura rolled her eyes because Jane was already undoing the button on her pants. It took a few minutes, but soon Maura was slipping her panties off. As she stood up, Jane was at her back. An arm slid around her waist and warm lips descended on her neck. She reached back and tangled her hand in Jane’s hair, keeping her in place. She moaned as Jane’s hand dragged up her torso to cup one of her breasts.  
  
“Jane.” Her voice was a whimper as Jane ran her tongue over her quickening carotid pulse. She felt movement and then Jane was walking, pushing Maura in front of her, until they were in front of the full-length mirror that stood by Maura’s dressing table. Maura inhaled involuntarily at the picture before her.   
  
Jane’s arm stood out in stark contrast to her own skin; a stripe of olive through milky white. Some of Jane’s hair was spilling over her shoulder, mixing with her own. Maura’s eyes drank in the spectacle greedily, her need starting to pulsate between her legs. She looked up and caught Jane’s eye in the mirror. She smiled and was granted one in return. Then both of Jane’s hands moved to her breasts, cupping them and rolling them, pulling Maura back harder against her firm body. The combination of Jane’s warm torso and cold extremities added another dimension to the sensation of being touched. Maura watched in the mirror, transfixed by her own reactions.  
  
“So, Doctor, is this a touch of narcissism, d’you think?” Maura could hear the smirk in Jane’s voice. She bit her lip as Jane pinched her nipple.  
  
“While the myth of Narcissus did involve him falling in love with his own reflection, it was really as a punishment for his pride and disdain for others. And the term is used in popular psychology for a number o-“  
  
“Touch yourself.”   
  
Maura didn’t need further urging, though she did take a second to note with satisfaction that Jane was getting much better at asking for things in the bedroom. Maura had initially been surprised by Jane’s willingness to just go along with Maura’s direction. Maura had never been shy of talking during sex; she liked to give feedback and offer constructive criticism where necessary. But Jane had been reserved, quiet even, when they first starting sleeping together. Maura had worried that Jane wasn’t enjoying herself, though her bodily reactions would indicate quite the opposite. But as time went on, and with a little encouragement, Jane had started to be more vocal, more open about what she wanted and how she wanted it. And Maura had discovered quite a penchant for Jane talking dirty.  
  
Jane’s hands had been entirely successful in arousing her to the point where she was pressing her thighs together to relieve the ache. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief as her fingers made their way between wet folds, immediately finding the source of her need.  
  
“Uh, uh, uh. Open your eyes. I want you to watch.”  
  
Struggling to concentrate while being subjected to a barrage of sensations, Maura obeyed. “Oh...Jane.” Seeing Jane’s hands on her body from this new angle was intensely erotic and she increased the pace of her hand between her legs. With every breath, she felt Jane’s breasts pushing against her back, and when Jane’s hand started a slow trail down her belly, Maura whimpered.  
  
Jane’s hand came to cover Maura’s own, tangling their fingers together as they moved in tandem. Maura bit her lip, trying to draw out the experience. Jane’s hips had started thrusting gently against her ass and Maura could barely manage to keep herself upright. “I’m...not...going to last.”  
  
“That’s lucky.” Jane’s voice was deeper, huskier than normal and it seemed to reverberate through Maura’s chest. “’Cause I’m gonna come just from touching you. And that could be embarrassing.”  
  
Hearing Jane say ‘come’ sent a jolt of arousal through Maura and she shifted the position of their joint hands, pressing Jane’s fingers against her. She mewled in pleasure as Jane entered her, easily finding a rhythm.   
  
“It wouldn’t be embarrassing, darling. I would be flattered.”   
  
Jane bit her shoulder playfully. Maura allowed more of her weight to rest against Jane, confident that she’d be held up. She turned her face away from the mirror to nuzzle into Jane’s cheek. “And anyway, you survived the embarrassment of the strap-on incident, I’m sure you’d survive this.”  
  
Jane’s hand stopped moving and Maura frowned. She looked back into the mirror to find Jane looking back at her, incredulous.  
  
“Really? You’re bringing that up  _now_?” Though she hadn’t removed her hand, she wasn’t doing anything with it. Maura used her own hand to urge her to keep moving.  
  
“I’m sorry. Can you please keep going? I’m really very close to an orgasm...”   
  
Jane sighed, but started stroking Maura again, still frowning into the mirror.  
  
“I hadn’t used one before.”  
  
“I know, sweetie. Oh...yes, there...”  
  
“The instructions weren’t clear.”  
  
“I know...you...God, yes, keep doing that...”  
  
“How was I supposed to know how to put it on?”  
  
“You...you weren’t...harder, Jane.”  
  
Jane drove her fingers deep and curled them, hitting Maura’s sensitive spot and applying pressure with the heel of her hand. Maura cried out as pleasure took over her senses, her hips continued to move erratically against Jane’s hand as Jane slowed down her thrusts. Sighing with relief, Maura leaned back against her lover, closing her eyes as Jane kissed her cheek and her neck.  
  
“So it wasn’t my fault that it was upside down...though I  _did_  kinda wonder why it was facing that way.” The throaty words were spoken directly into her ear and Maura couldn’t help the chuckle that erupted out of her mouth. With difficulty, she turned in Jane’s arms and looked up at her.  
  
“Did you think it would perk up if I rubbed it?”  
  
Jane pinched her side and Maura squealed.   
  
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She reached behind Jane’s neck to pull her into a long kiss. “That was amazing.  _You_  are amazing.” She started to walk, forcing Jane to back up, towards the bathroom. “And now we’re going to get into the shower, and I’m going to show you how amazing I think you are.”  
  
\---  
  
Maura pulled on a pair of old, worn jeans before shrugging into Jane’s Boston PD softball shirt. She watched Jane finish drying her hair, dressed in similarly casual attire. She walked over and stood behind her, taking the brush out of her hand and running it through the long, dark locks. Jane smiled at her in the mirror.  
  
“You look happy.”   
  
“I am  _very_  happy.”  
  
Jane tipped her head back so that it rested against Maura’s abdomen. “Good to know.” She took the brush out of Maura’s hand and put it on the dresser. “And as much as I would enjoy making you happy for the rest of the evening, you just know Ma’s gonna come knocking on that door if we’re not out there soon.”  
  
Laughing softly, Maura stroked Jane’s cheek and leaned down to give her a kiss.   
  
“You’re probably right. C’mon, you promised me hot chocolate.”  
  
Jane stood and took Maura’s hand, leading her out of the bedroom and down the hall. Reaching the living room, Maura was met by what had become a familiar sight; her couch was full of Rizzolis with their eyes glued to the television. Angela sat between her two boys, with Tommy’s arm around her shoulders and Frankie’s head resting against her own. Jane cleared her throat and the three of them looked up and shuffled along, leaving enough room for one person to take a seat. Jane sat down between Frankie and the arm of the couch and Maura immediately took up residence on her lap, arranging herself so that they were both comfortable and could see the TV. Maura didn’t recognise the movie that was playing, but it was black and white and involved snow, so it fit the mood perfectly.  
  
“Ma, didn’t you say something about hot chocolate?” Jane rubbed her hand up Maura’s back, under her shirt, causing her to shiver.  
  
“I figured the two of you were warmed up by now. You were  _showering_  for a really long time.”  
  
The implication was clear, and Maura pressed a kiss to Jane’s flaming red cheek before responding.  
  
“Jane and I are very warm now, but we would still love some of your special hot chocolate, Angela. I don’t know how you do it, but your hot chocolate always tastes so much better than everyone else’s.”  
  
Angela beamed over at Maura. “It’s so lovely to have someone who appreciates me.” She cast a look between her three children. “Makes a change.” She pushed herself up off the couch and right away Tommy and Frankie started fighting over the extra room. Angela ruffled Maura’s hair on the way past. “You’re such a good girl.”  
  
Shaking her head, Jane squeezed Maura’s waist. “You got her wrapped around your little finger, huh?”  
  
Maura suppressed the smile that threatened to appear, an instead busied herself with picking lint off Jane’s old t-shirt.   
  
“You’re one to talk, Janie.” Tommy piped up. “Or was that somebody else who  _gave up_  a snowball fight today?”  
  
Wholly prepared for Jane to start sulking again, Maura was surprised to see an affectionate smile on her face instead.  
  
“Tommy, maybe one day you’ll be lucky enough to find somebody who makes you want to submit every now and then.”  
  
“Oh, Jane.” Maura covered her heart with her hand. “That was lovely.”  
  
“That better not be another reference to your sex life,” Frankie mumbled.  
  
“Wha-...oh, Jesus. No!” Jane whacked Frankie’s shoulder while Tommy made a lewd expression on the other side of him.  
  
“Jane and I are both very domina-“ Maura started, but was cut off by Jane’s hand covering her mouth.  
  
“No, Maura. I mean it. No.”   
  
“Jane! Stop roughhousing with Maura!”  
  
Jane pouted in the direction of the kitchen. “But Ma!”  
  
“Yes, stop roughhousing with me!” Maura said, poking Jane in the ribs and leaning in closer. “Or at least wait until we’re alone.”  
  
A tray of hot chocolate appeared on the coffee table, effectively silencing Jane. They all picked up a mug, and Frankie and Tommy once again made room for Angela. Once they were settled, Maura took a moment to look around the room. The light was fading outside the windows, but the street lights and the snow cast a soft glow over the room. The volume on the TV was low and everyone was warm and safe. Maura leaned her head on Jane’s and sighed happily, sipping her hot chocolate. While there was no empirical measure for it, Maura allowed herself a moment of whimsy where she imagined that what she was feeling must be very close to perfect happiness.


End file.
